In the electrical arts, a microstrip is recognized as a thin, flat electrical conductor separated from a ground plane by a layer of insulation (e.g., a dielectric). They are typically used in printed circuit designs where high frequency signals are routed from one part of the assembly to another with high efficiency and minimal signal loss, due to radiation. They are a class of electrical conductors commonly known as transmission lines. They have specific electrical properties that are determined by the conductor width and resistivity, spacing from the ground plane and the dielectric properties of the insulating layer.
With the growing complexity of electrical systems, such as for example radar systems, it is often desirable to fabricate different elements and/or subsystems on different circuit boards. Such separation of elements may reduce fabrication costs and permit fabrication flexibility, as well as enhance the opportunity for service and replacement of an element, should an improvement later be developed or a component malfunction.
To properly establish an interconnection between the microstrip of one board and that of another board, generally, a technician will employ the use of a specialized solderer/welder to establish a ribbon connection. The use of such a machine generally requires either that the boards to be interconnected are brought to the machine, or that the machine is portable enough to be brought to the circuit boards.
In addition, the use of such a machine generally requires a degree of specialized training on the part of the technician. Even with such training there is a possibility of damaging the neighboring components, given the temperatures involved in welding/soldering such an interconnection in place. Repeated service upon such an interconnection and/or one or more of the interconnected boards generally requires the removal of such a welded/soldered interconnection, which may further impose stress upon the components.
As such, maintenance, especially field maintenance, is not always easily performed as a technician and/or the requisite tools and machines may not be available. Damage to a single interconnection may render the entire system, such as a radar system, inoperable—a condition highly undesirable and potentially costly in terms of human life and equipment loss.
Hence, there is a need for a microstrip interconnector that overcomes one or more of the technical problems and physical vulnerabilities common to contemporary wire bond connectors.